Physician-Scientists Receive $7.5 Million in Awards

Burroughs Wellcome Fund News

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has awarded Clinical Scientist Awards in Translational Research to 10 researchers who will help bridge the gap between the laboratory bench and patient care.

Made as part of BWF's 2000 award series, the awards each provide $750,000 over a period of five years and will begin on July 1.

The awards are intended to foster the development and productivity of midcareer physician-scientists who will strengthen translational research--the two-way transfer between basic research and the treatment of patients--through their own studies as well as their mentoring of the next generation of physician investigators.

"Although recent years have seen an explosion of fundamental insights into the mechanisms of disease, transferring this knowledge into practical advances in health care has moved more slowly," says BWF President Enriqueta C. Bond, Ph.D. "The National Institutes of Health and other public and private organizations support a significant amount of basic biomedical research, while industry supports the commercial development of medicines and medical products--yet the vital bridge between these areas remains underserved."

BWF's awards will enable recipients to explore important scientific questions, to apply the resulting knowledge at the bedside, and to bring insights from the clinical setting back to the laboratory for further exploration. These efforts, it is hoped, will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of disease, as well as to new methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.

Among funded projects, the awardees will be studying methods to activate "killer cells" that specifically target cancers, to induce immunity in the cells of persons exposed to the AIDS virus, and to reduce the threat of atherosclerosis by modulating the body's metabolism of certain fats.

The 2000 award recipients, along with their institutions and research projects, are:

Robert B. Darnell, M.D., Ph.D.

Rockefeller University

Detection and activation of tumor-specific killer cells in animal models and cancer patients

Novel therapeutic approach to atherosclerosis through modulation of HDL metabolism

Don C. Rockey, M.D.

Duke University Medical Center

The cellular and molecular basis of portal hypertension: an endothelialopathy in cirrhosis

Matthew L. Warman, M.D.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Delineating the proteins and pathways that maintain human joints and their potential for treating heritable and acquired forms of arthritis

ABOUT THE FUND

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, N.C., is an independent, private foundation dedicated to advancing the medical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. It conducts the majority of its grantmaking through competitive programs designed to support the career development of young scientists and to build capacity in research areas BWF believes to be undervalued or in need of targeted support. The Fund's current assets are in excess of $700 million and annual grants are approximately $47 million. For more information about the Fund, contact Karyn Hede, Communications Manager, at 919-991-5119 or visit our web site at www.bwfund.org

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The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the development and advancement of biomedical technology to eliminate cancer and other potentially fatal diseases. Recognized internationally for its pioneering work in bone-marrow transplantation, the Center's four scientific divisions collaborate to form a unique environment for conducting basic and applied science. The Hutchinson Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit the Center's Web site at <www.fhcrc.org>.